Automobile number-light.



s. 1. LESSING AUTOMOBILE NUMBER LIGHT.

APIP'LICATION F IL ED FEB. 10, 1912.

1,145,692.. P atented'July ,1915.

sTA'rEs PATENT ornrcn.

SAMUEL J. LESSING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMOBILE NUMBER-LIGHT.

To all whom it may concern cltizen of the United States of America, and

resldent of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented a certain newand useful Improvement in 'Automobile Number- Lights, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention contemplates an automobile number, and means forilluminating it, whereby the number is visible in the dark.

My invention further contemplates a number of this kind which is lightedby electricity.-

My invention further contemplates an automobile number light that isinclosed within achamber which also contains the switch or other meansfor turning it on and off, and which has a lock, whereby the lightcannot be turned on and off at will from the seat of the automobile, theturning out of the light being possible only by stopping the automobileand going around to the rear end thereof.

In the accompanyling drawings-Figure 1 is a plan, more or lessdiagrammatic in character, of an automobile equipped with a number lightembodyingthe principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged frontelevation of the box containing said number and light. Fig. 3 is an endelevation of said box. .Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of said box. Fig.5 is a transverse central section of said box. 1

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a metal or other substantialbox A mounted in any suitable manner on the rear end of the automobile.Thisbox has a rearwardly facing plate or wall a of glass or othertransparent material which has the number of the automobile displayedthereon iii any suitable manner, as shownin Flg. 2.

- Back of this glass is a funnel-shaped wall a which has the electriclamp A at the center thereof, and which has a surface serving as areflector -for the light. A switch a, of any suitable character, isdisposed within the-box at one end thereof, between the Wall a and theback wall a for controlling the circuit of said lamp. The end of the boxat which the said switch is located is provided with anopening having adoor a. Any suitable form of lock may be provided for said door, as, forexam le, the padlock a,

whereby the only means for controlling the said lamp is inaccessiblewhen the said door :5 locked.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- character.

Patented July 6, 1915.

Application filed February 10, 1912. Serial No. 676,906.

The driver cannot turn out the light except by stopping the automobileand going around to the rear end thereof. Furthermore, and if thecircumstances warrant, the driver or chauffeur may fnot have the key. Insuch case the owner of the car is practically certain that the numberlight will not be turned ofl until the proper time. In other words,there is no provision whereby the light can be flashed on and 0E whilethe car is running along the street.

Any suitable means of supply can be employed for furnishing the currentfor said lamp. As a matter of further and special improvement, however,the storage battery B, by which the current is supplied for the engineignition, is connected with the circuit ofsaid lamp. This battery ischarged by current from the generator C operated in any suitable mannerby the engine D of the automobile. A switch E is provided for cutting inand out the said generator. Thus the number light is supplied withcurrent from the source already found on the ca for other purposes.

Thus I provide a number light which causes the number of the automobileto be brilliantly and effectively illuminated and thereby made visibleat night. The lamp and number and controlling switch are, as explained,all inclosed and locked up in a box which is unitary and substantial inMoreover, the location of the switchat the lamp insures lighting of thesame, and instant detection of any trouble in the circuit, or at thesource of current.

To the contrary, the driver might many times turn a switch at the dashwithout knowing that the lamp was not lighted by so doing.

It will be seen that the deflector a segregatcs the lamp A from theswitch (1 and thereby renders the said lamp inaccessible at all times.This prevents improper removal of said lamp, and thereby precludes theloss or theft thereof. To remove thesaid lamp, in order to renew thesame when burned out, the structure of the box must be taken apart. Thusit is not only possible to lock up and prevent access to the switch, butwith the construction shown, access to the switch does not necessarilyor incidentally aiford access to the lamp, and hence loss or theft ofthe incandescent lamp bulb is precluded as well.

The strips 0 are interposed between the plate a and the rim of thereflector a, to form a dust tight chamber for the light. These stripsmay be of any suitable material. The strips D are secured to the box inany suitable manner, by fastening devices of any suitable character, asindicated, and bear against the plate a, along the edges thereof, tohold the same in place. Thus the reflector a and the plate a cooperateto form a dust tight and inaccessible chamber for the lamp-A,which'latter can only be removed by taking out the front of the box,after detaching the strips D in any suitable manner; and as tools arerequired for the removal of the strips D, it follows that the lamp ispractically safe and inaccessible. Also it will be seen that the plate aand strips D are set inward a distance from the front of the box, thusproviding in effect an overhang which tends to mane the front of the boxwater tight or weather proof.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An automobile number box provided with front and rear walls, saidfront wall being non-removable except by the use of tools, a reflectorfixed in said box, dividing the interior thereof into separate front andrear chambers mutually closed to each other, an electric lamp in saidfront chamher, said front wall being adapted to transmit light, saidreflector and front wall cooperating to prevent improper removal of saidlamp, a manual switch for said light in said rear chamber, a door forsaid rear chamber located adjacent said switch, and a lock for saiddoor, said box having top and bottom and end walls which extend beyondsaid front wall.

2. An automobile number box comprisin fixed top and bottom and endwalls, a fixe back wall, a door for one end wall, a switch immediatelyinside said door, a number plate forming the front Wall of the box,means for' holding said plate in position, a concave reflector back ofsaid plate, form- .ing therewith a closed chamber, a filler interposedbetween the rim of the reflector and the marginal surface of said plate,to seal said chamber, and an electric light in said chamber, cidntrolledby said switch.

3. An automobile number box comprising fixed top and bottom and endwalls, a fixed" back wall, a number plate forming the front wall of thebox, a reflector back of said plate, forming therewith a closed chamber,a filler interposed. between the rim of the reflector and the marginalsurface of "said plate, to seal said chamber, an electric light in saidchamber, and strips bearing against the outer surface of the said plate,along the edges thereof, disposed a distance within the box, and boltsfor securing said stripsin position, whereby the plate and filler areclamped tightly against the reflector.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 7th day of February, 1912.

. SAMUEL J. LESSING.

-Witnesses:

S. L. GLovER, S. LEWIS.

